


There's A Struggle That Lies Within

by Shiftingbetweenfandoms



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blackmail, Boys In Love, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protectiveness, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiftingbetweenfandoms/pseuds/Shiftingbetweenfandoms
Summary: It's all becoming too much for Callum. Thompson. The Blackmail. The exhaustion.He only needs a few more weeks before he has enough evidence to take Thompson down.But with Ben becoming more worried, Phil demanding more, and Thompson becoming more violent, Can he really last that long or will he cave and tell someone?
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway & Stuart Highway, Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50





	There's A Struggle That Lies Within

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo...  
> This is my first fanfic in like 6 years or so and naturally, I have to dedicate it to my favourite white boys.  
> I hope you guys enjoy it and I know the wording may seem repetitive in some places, but I'm new to this so yanno.  
> I will just say that I got back into writing because of the comfortember series by Artsyleo. If you get the chance, go check out their works, they re amazing and should be known by everyone in the fandom. I was actually inspired by their day 23 prompt - exhaustion.  
> Hope you enjoy!

On the surface of things, he tries to stay positive. He tries to stay positive for Ben, for Lexi, for himself. Callum really does try. This involves plastering on a smile, changing a subject a little too quickly, or just doing simple things like cooking a little too much. Why he never sought out the cooking profession, Callum will never understand. He hates his past self for ever thinking that being a policeman and being with a Mitchell could ever work without consequences. He can't even argue anymore that Ben got him in this situation with the warehouse robbery because he keeps digging himself further into the hole. First, with being late to Stuart's wedding - something he thinks he'll forever hate himself for - then with the constant jumpiness, and now with Thompson giving him a two-week deadline.

He doesn't have two weeks.

Don't get him wrong, Callum does have a plan - in fact, he thought of it when he was given the wire. Why not fight fire with fire? Callum has been gathering his own evidence on Thompson; every threat, every illegal action, every evidence of blackmail. He's almost got enough, Thompson cornering him in the interview room after the Shoreditch job confirms this. While this event was the boost his evidence needed, it certainly broke down the remainder of Callum's mental walls.

That's what's been keeping him going, the way that he could block all of it out and remind himself that he's doing this all for Ben. It's always been for Ben. While he may be a dumbass, He's Callum’s dumbass and he'd sacrifice anything to protect him. That seems to be something the entire square knows about them though. It’s quite obvious that they would risk the world for each other, hence Kush threatening Ben.

Christ, he doesn’t have two weeks. He needs more time. Both for the evidence, and himself.

….

For the first time in the two months he’s been ‘working’ for Thompson, Callum is feeling legitimate fear for not only Ben, but himself too. He should’ve known he’d get some sort of punishment for the aftermath of the Shoreditch job. Originally, he was prepared to take it for Ben. Because for Ben, he’d do anything. But now, all he can do is replay Thompson’s threat on repeat in his mind. Realistically, he should have known that Thompson would have reacted badly to the Shoreditch job and he should’ve known that he’d receive the backlash from it. What he didn’t expect was the threat on his life. “Get me Phil Mitchell, or you’ll wish I’d send you down.”. He doesn’t want to read too much into it, but the fury and bloodlust in Thompson’s eyes give away his murderous intentions. _Fucking hell, this bastard is crazy._ It was a funny thought at the time, now it feels too real.

The journey back from the police station is a complete blur, Callum’s pretty sure he walked into about five people. But it doesn’t matter. Thompson finally broke down his mental barriers. Callum is just the embodiment of fear right now. For Ben. For Phil. For Lexi. And, for himself. He doesn’t even know if Ben got away, he saw him drive out but what if he was caught? He doesn’t even want to think about what Kush is doing, he couldn’t exactly arrest him with his knowledge of Ben

As he pushes the gate open to the Mitchell residence, the newfound fear is now joined by a level of exhaustion that he hasn’t felt since Keanu’s kidnapping. It causes him to stumble backwards, needing the brick wall for assistance. _Suck it up Highway,_ Callum tells himself, _You got yourself into this mess_.

He pushes through the exhaustion and enters the house, only to be met with Ben and Phil sat at the Kitchen table, speaking in quiet murmurs. They both turn to him as they hear the door open, both having a level of relief on their faces. Ben probably more genuine than Phil.

“Jesus you took your time” Ben said, moving into the light to give Callum the hug they both so desperately needed. Callum was ready to fall into it and never leave it again when Ben stopped dead in his tracks. “Who did this?”

 _Fuck_. Callum forgot about his lip. Somehow, it’s still throbbing, it’s still painful. Guess that shows his capabilities at being a policeman. Damn, could he get any worse? “I-it’s nothing, don’t worry about it, I’m fine”. And now he’s stuttering. Lovely. It seems like the biggest task getting those words out, but he does, even though it’s not the way he bloody wanted.

“It’s obviously not. Now please, who the hell did this?” Ben raised his tone slightly, but only out of the protective flare that was bursting inside him. Endless possibilities were running through his head, none of them rational of course. See, this is what happens with Ben when he is overwhelmed with his protective nature, his rationality jumps out the window.

At some point during all this, Phil excused himself to bed, leaving the two soulmates in the kitchen alone. Somehow Callum must’ve self-consciously registered this because he allowed his guard to drop. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to him, he didn’t realise how much.

As he opened his mouth to try and get a response out, nothing came. Just a gasp. This awoke the alarm bells in Ben’s head as he tried to find out what was wrong. “Callum, please, babe talk to me, what’s happened?”. But to Callum, he heard nothing. To him, all he could register was his vision becoming increasingly blurrier and a crushing sense of nausea rushing through him.

Callum tried to grasp on to something to keep his balance up. His hand reached out to the counter but missed, and his whole body fell with it. He went crashing to the ground, only just missing his head on said counter that was meant to save him because Ben caught him. Now, if anyone was to ask what happened in the period that all he could process was nausea, Callum would not be able to give you an answer. He could not hear Ben’s worried and desperate pleas. He could not feel Ben’s hands as they gripped his. He could not see the tears forming in Ben’s eyes.

The only reason Ben had this extreme reaction is because he has had to watch Callum decline in the past few weeks and felt unimaginable guilt course through him because of it. He knew he should’ve asked Callum what was wrong more, he should’ve pressed harder and somewhat demanded what was wrong. But he didn’t want to. He wanted Callum to come to him first. Don’t ask him why, it’s very hypocritical. It’s not like he went to Callum last Christmas when they were dealing with Sharon and Keanu. Instead he broke his heart.

When Callum started to come around again, he registered Ben’s reaction and felt embarrassment and blame shoot through his veins. _Shit, he put those tears there._ He tried to push himself up and away as a way of trying to show Ben that he shouldn’t be worried, only for Ben to ease him back down and tell him to “take it easy.”

After a few more minutes, Ben let Callum sit up but didn’t let go of his hand. He guided Callum to the sofa, very slowly and steadily, and eased him down. “Have you even eaten anything since your shift started?”, one way or another, Ben already knew the answer. Callum gave a tentative shake of the head and Ben told him to lie down and that he’d be right back.

Callum let his eyes slip closed and went into a dreamless sleep. It was one of those sleeps where you could never truly relax, you knew you could be woken up by any sudden movement, it was a sleep where you not truly sleeping out of relaxation, more exhaustion. He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but when he next opened his eyes, it was to ben placing down a tray with a bowl or tomato soup, two slices of buttered bread and one of his famous hot chocolates. _I don’t deserve him_ is all Callum can think as Ben sits down next to him. 

Ben is about to open his mouth to speak but Callum beats him to it. “Please, can we just leave it for tomorrow?”. Ben looks like he wants to protest, but the glassy look in Callum’s eyes convinces him not to. “It will be tomorrow though” Ben declares as he settles down and loads up Disney+. This is why Callum is doing what he is, this domestic life that he has with Ben is what he has wanted for too long. He has the perfect life with Ben and without him he’d be nothing. But it’s moments like this when Callum wonders if Ben would help or leave him after knowing the truth. It’s why he keeps it a secret.

Callum is about to get lost in his thoughts of self-doubt when he notices what Ben has put on, allowing a slight humorous distraction from the struggles of life. “Hamilton again? Really, how many times have we watched that since lockdown ended?”

“About the same amount of times you forced me to watch Endgame after it came out.”. The teasing about each other’s passions continued into the night until they descended into a peaceful silence with the Musical on a low volume. Just as ‘Take a Break’ finished, Ben felt a weight fall onto his shoulder, Callum had fallen asleep. Ben once again arranged Callum so that they were both stretched out along the sofa, with Callum sleeping on his chest. It’s ironic really, that Callum falls asleep, no doubt from exhaustion, during this song.

Ben slowly reaches for the remote and turns off the tv before turning to his lover and making a silent vow. _I swear, I will do everything I can to protect and help you Callum Highway_. It is a mantra that stays in his head until the early hours of the morning when he allows his guard to drop and falls into much needed sleep.

….

The next day brings small ounces of the truth. Baby steps though.

Callum admits to Ben that Kush is the one who punched him, to which Ben roars that words haven’t been invented yet to explain what he’ll do when he’s done with him. It’s Callum’s plea that “I cannot be dealing with more problems at work” that snaps Ben out of his rage. It’s said in such a quiet and pained way that Ben feels the need to wrap Callum up and protect him from the dangers of the world because he doesn’t fucking deserve to be this alarmed.

This is as far as they get in their confessions however, because Ben gets a call from Phil telling him to meet him at the Arches. _Great timing as always Dad._ Ben is about to refuse when Callum convinces him otherwise. “Kush is still out there, God knows where, with information that could send both of you down. Go”. Ben really doesn’t want to go, but as always, Callum is the voice of reason. “We will talk about this more later alright.”

Ben is gone for five minutes before Callum craves some familiarity. It’s crazy how there is so little of that in his life now. Despite coming out and being with Ben, he feels more lost than other the past few months. While Stuart is a familiar presence, it’s just not the same since he moved out and Stu got married. Don’t get him wrong, he has never been happier for his big brother and he thinks Rainie and him are perfect for each other, it’s just not the same.

Somehow the only person in his life who has not changed drastically is ironically the person he hasn’t had a proper conversation with for months. Mick. Mick has always been a constant in his life and has always been able to be the voice of reason in his manic life. Whether he can provide clarity on Callum’s impossible situation or just be a listener, Callum doesn’t care. He needs to tell someone. He needs to get this weight off his shoulders that is crushing him.

Before any thoughts of doubt can enter his mind, Callum is whipping out his phone and already dialling his father figure’s number. “Callum, Son! It’s been too long!”, Callum chooses to ignore the relief that he can hear in Mick’s voice. He’s been kept up to date with Mick’ situation throughout the year. It seems 2020 has not been kind to him either. It seems Mick needs the familiarity too.

“Hey Mick, how you doing?”, Callum also attempts to hide the relief and fear in his voice, but fails much like Mick. “I’ve been better to be honest Halfway, it’s good to hear a friendly voice.”. _Friendly isn’t the word I’d use._ “Anyway, what do you need?”

“Actually I need to talk to you about something. I-I need help.”. Callum isn’t even trying to hide the fear in his voice now and it causes Mick’s fatherly instincts to kick in and he doesn’t hesitate to show it; “Right I’m coming over, I’m assuming you’re at the Mitchell’s”, Callum confirms this to which Mick hangs up with a quick “I’ll be five minutes”.

True to his word, four minutes later there is a knock at the door and Mick enters, immediately enveloping Callum in his arms. Callum falls into this and beats himself up more for not coming to Mick sooner, and not being there for him when he knew Mick was struggling too. “Now, let’s put the kettle on and talk about what’s up with you.”. It’s such a simple thing yet it breaks down Callum even more because it is so Mick, it is exactly what he has been lacking over the past few months.

They sit down on the sofa, mugs in hand and Mick looks at Callum expectantly. He doesn’t even know where to start, there’s just so much. Does he start with the warehouse robbery? Or does he skip that and just get straight to Thompson? Before he can give himself more time to think and time to back out completely, he just starts to talk.

He talks, and talks, and talks. It just all falls out of his mouth and he doesn’t even try to stop it.

After what seems like an eternity, Callum is finished. It seems like the first time in months that he has been able to breathe properly. He finally has someone in his corner, someone who can help. “Well my boy, you’ve really got yourself into a right mess.”. _You can say that again._ “But, I cant blame you. You did what you thought was right for _your_ family, you weren’t exactly put in an easy position to begin with. Living with the Mitchell’s was always going to be hard, but it seems this Thompson geezer is one messed up lad. We already know what he did with Keegan. DI Dickhead over here is the one in the wrong, not you.”. The name initiates a laugh inside Callum, it’s the first time he’s properly let his guard down in a while and he allows himself to be vulnerable.

“But, I do think you need to tell Ben”. This is what Callum was terrified of hearing. He knows he needs to tell Ben but it’s the possibility of losing the single best thing that has ever happened to him. He wouldn’t be able to cope. It would kill him. But logically, he knows he has to. “Where would I even begin? He’d hate me. He’d hate me so much.” He trials off and gets lost in his thoughts once again. Before his mind has the chance to spiral down an endless hole of hatred, he is dragged back to the surface by Mick’s comforting presence, “I don’t think there is anything you could do to make anyone hate you. It’s virtually impossible. If someone walked into you and knocked you over, you’d somehow find a way to make it your fault and apologise. It’s just who you are. What’s that thing that you and Lee used to say? You were in these houses like Hugglepuff or something.” It sparked yet another laugh within Callum and he had to restrain himself from correcting him and just let him continue. “It’s in your blood to be a good person. You’re incapable of putting yourself first and it kills me that people take advantage of that. But, I know the one person who wouldn’t, is Ben.”

He does have a point, but the overwhelming fear is still too apparent that it causes him to think irrationally.

….

Mick leaves shortly after, something about having to meet someone, and Callum is once again left to his thoughts. It’s not long until Ben returns from the Arches; “Sorry it took so long. Dad couldn’t bloody work the computer.”

What Ben doesn’t expect is the lack of response from Callum, and it causes him to stop dead in his tracks and turn to his boyfriend. “Callum? You okay?”, concern is laced in his words and he can once again feel the worry seep through his veins as he kneels down in front of Callum, who is staring blankly ahead of him.

Ben takes a hold of his hands asks if Callum is okay once again; the sudden sensation of warmth is what causes Callum to return to reality. As he is looking at Ben, he feels something bubble inside him. It’s an inextinguishable fire that pulses through him, he suddenly feels like he is the light outrunning the darkness. “I-I’m in tr-trouble.” This alone causes Ben’s face to shift from concern to confusion. “What’s happened?” Ben’s tone if filled with concern yet remains hard, as if what he is about to learn will send him off into a blind rage.

He moves from his position of kneeling in front of Callum so that he is sat next to him on the sofa, his hands still entwined with Callum’s. Callum grips on tight, almost as if he knows this will be the last time he could have hold them. “When you were arrested, you weren’t released because I got rid of the CCTV. I didn’t even get close to doing that.” He feels Ben’s soothing hands stiffen as he listens intently. “My boss – Thompson – made me an offer. Phil for you.” There, it’s done. He doesn’t even have the courage to look up at Ben, so he remains staring at his hands.

“What?” It’s such a quiet and somewhat vulnerable response from Ben that Callum finally breaks. “I-I said no at first. I didn’t want to do that to you. But – but then I saw Lexi and she was asking where you were and I couldn’t let her grow up without her dad and I knew I couldn’t lose you.” He knew he was rambling now, trying to salvage this in any way he can.

“So you thought throwing my dad in it was the best thing to do?” Ben raised his voice and Callum could hear the anger seeping through, but he chose to keep going. Ben had to know everything. “No! I was trying to buy both of you time so I could figure out something to make sure neither of you went down!” Callum knew he should be shouting, he’s not in the place to be the one who gets angry.

Ben didn’t say anything, seemingly trying to keep himself from lashing out, so Callum kept going. “He kept making me do things so that I could get evidence. He made me plant a bug in the Arches, he made me wear a wire. That’s when I drew the line. I told him I wasn’t going to do this anymore but then…”. For some reason, the confession of the blackmail and threats is what he finds hardest to get out. Maybe it’s because it’s like a confession that he’s weak and doesn’t deserve to be an officer or have someone as strong as Ben. But despite everything, Ben still hadn’t let go of his hands. Ben was still there, he was still listening.

“Then he threatened me and said he’d take me down along with you if I didn’t do as he said.”

“What could he possibly have against you?” Ben’s tone still has elements of anger within it, but it is been drowned out by worry and sadness for his boyfriend. He should be angry. Fuming at the fact that the one person he trusted more than anything betrayed him. But he can’t find it in himself to be.

“The day of Stuart’s wedding, the reason why I was late was because I was in the Arches. With you dad. And Danny. The bug in there has evidence of me- of me attacking Danny. Because he threatened you” Ben is stunned, he’s astounded that someone would put him first. That’s never happened before. “Callum…” it’s said in such a heart breaking way that it causes the tears that had been building up in Callum’s eyes to spill over.

“When- when you got away from the Shoreditch job, after I got back to the station, Thompson cornered me again and said I had a two week deadline to bring Phil in.” His breathing becomes short and quick and he doesn’t try to stop the tears streaming down his face. “I-I was so s-scared. I don’t know what-what to do. I-I f-feel like he is going to do s-something more than just send me down.” Ben doesn’t want to think too much into the comment, but he knows what it means and it makes his blood boil.

As Callum breaks down, Ben doesn’t know what to do. He wants to comfort him so badly and tell him it’ll be okay, but he doesn’t know what this time. He was so adamant that Callum would never betray them, defended him to the end of the line with Shirley and even when Phil had doubts. Phil. The man who started all this, with his inability to let Keanu go. If Ben had never got involved with that, then Keanu never would have taken Callum, he wouldn’t have lost his hearing, he wouldn’t have felt an obligation to go to that warehouse, and he never would have appeared on that fucking CCTV footage.

And now look what’s happened, the man he loves has crumbled in front of him. Callum has fallen apart so much and has been alone for so long; he has had to keep it together to defend Ben from monsters who wants to finish him. Monsters Ben created if anything.

He looks to the broken man next to him and makes his decision. Ben wraps his arms around Callum shoulder and guides him down so Callum is against his stomach, almost in his lap. Callum tightens his grip on Ben so hard like he’ll disappear if he ever let go. After what felt like hours, Callum’s breathing seems to have evened out and Ben continues to rub his shoulders comfortingly. “It’s okay, it’s okay Callum. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. We’ll figure this out.”

This causes Callum to sit up so that he can look Ben in the eyes. “Why? Why stay with me after everything I did?”

“Because- because I love you. You out me first. That has never happened to me before. There is always a new golden boy for me dad to love. My mum is more worried about Ian than me. And Lola and Jay have their own issues. I’m never put first. But you were willing to put your future on the line… for me. You stayed by my side through all of my struggles. Keanu. My dad. My hearing. Danny. It would be hypocritical for me to stand here and try and sound righteous.” Callum couldn’t believe this, he could believe any of this. He thought Ben would have stormed out as soon as he told him about the offer. But he’s still here and he understands. _He’s- he’s not leaving_.

“We will figure this out, I promise you. I won’t let anything happen to you. If my dad finds out, I won’t let him do anything to you. I’m not leaving you. I promise.”

Callum surged forward and hugged Ben like his life depended on it. _It basically did._ The flood of apologies and thank you’s fell from his mouth as Ben tightened his grip. _I will never leave you, Callum Highway._

….

Soon after the confession, Callum told Ben of the plan he had and the evidence he had gathered over the past few months. He played Ben the recordings he had of Thompsons threats and Ben could only listen and allow his rage to be amplified after each recording. His heart ached for Callum, for all the stress that he had been under and the fact that he faced it all alone. He felt guilt rise within him at all the times he and his dad asked Callum to look into Ellie or pressure him to get Raymond home. Each time they were just making Callum’s impossible situation harder.

The night ended with both of them curled up together, entwined in a way that symbolised their unbreakable bond. Ben watched as Callum’s stressed expression faded away as he fell into a sleep and continued to watch him into the early hours of the morning before he decided he needed rest too. They had both agreed that they should not only tell Phil, but also Stuart. They knew telling Phil is a calamity waiting to happen, having Stuart there could be both a form or comfort and reassurance for Callum, and also an imposing threat to Phil.

Of course, when they told Stuart, he was obviously fuming. He went on a tangent about how Callum should have never got involved with the Mitchells. He probably shouted at Ben for 10 minutes before Callum stepped in and reminded him that it is mainly his own fault.

“Bruv, the reason you’re in this mess is because of that warehouse robbery!” Stuart catches Ben shrink back at the reminder. “That’s not the point Stu! I had plenty of times to come clean and tell Ben and get help. But I didn’t. I was scared and weak.” Callum’s voice trails off and he ducks his head in shame.

Stuart looks at his brother, with sadness suddenly overtaking him. While this may be Ben’s fault, he didn’t leave his little brother when he found out. He could’ve abandoned him, but he didn’t. Not like when he did when they were kids.

“Right, okay, I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault Callum and I could easily blame Ben, but we know it’s this Thompson bloke who is to blame. What do you need me to do?”

“Well, we want you to be there when we tell Phil, he will mostly likely lash out at Callum and we want to make sure nothing can happen. Let’s be honest, I’m not exactly much of a threat to him and you might be strong enough to hold him back if anything does happen”. Stuart and Ben have definitely grown closer over lockdown, partly for Callum, but they have realised that they do have a little in common. They both have an intense love for football, weirdly have similar music taste, and they constantly talk about Callum and they joke about all the stupid things he’s done. Stuart also introduced Ben to ‘Halfway’; he showed him pictures of 2018 Callum, something the little brother did not appreciate. Ben spent days taking about his bowl cut, his beanie, and his old jumpers. Wouldn’t stop going on about wanting to see them. It was only when Callum was unpacking after moving in did Ben finally see the infamous beanie, he wasted no time in shoving it on Callum’s promptly taking a picture together and making it his lock screen.

Ben decides that Callum needs a break from all this or just a distraction from the whole situation. He suggests that they go pick up Lexi and just have a movie night in together. As they make their way across the square, their hands linked and talking about nothing important, they catch Jack and Thompson walking back to a police car. Callum stops instantly and his eyes widen so much they resemble a deer in headlights, Ben squeezes his hand and pulls him in the opposite direction, “Let’s go the long way babe.” He doesn’t get a response out of Callum and squeezes his hand harder.

“What do you think they were talking about? Do you think he knows about what I did to get Raymond? Do you think Jack somehow found out that I warned you at Shoreditch? Oh god, what if he knows I’m working for Phil too? What if -”

“Woah, woah Callum time out. Just breathe for a second”. Ben exaggerates his own breathing to try and help Callum regain control of his own. After a few minutes, Callum calms down with his breathing being more controlled and steady.

“I’m sorr-” Callum begins to say but never gets the chance.

“Nope, you’re no longer allowed to apologise” Ben says with a grin plastered on his face. He’s always been better at providing humour as an escape from the stresses of life. It’s a gift, a useless gift but still a gift.

With Thompson’s presence now a forgotten thought, they pick up Lexi and the night descends to one of domesticity and laughter. They spend the night distracting Callum from the monsters that are out to get him. Ben and Lexi cook Callum’s famous chicken pasta while the infamous chef himself sets up the tv to watch ‘Moana’, for the tenth time might he add.

He walks back into the kitchen and smiles at the scene playing out in front of him. Ben is watching over Lexi as she carefully chops up the vegetables and Lexi, being the matriarch that she is, has Little Mix softly playing in the background; both humming to the tune.

Callum slowly walks up behind ben, wraps his arms around his waist, and rests his head on his shoulder.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Do you think I need a career change, _again_?”

This causes Ben to turn around, still keeping Lexi in his peripheral vision, “But you worked so hard for the police.”

“The whole reason I wanted to join was because of the idea of helping people, but so far all I’ve managed to do is make peoples lives harder.” Ben frowns but doesn’t interrupt.

“I’m just saying maybe there are other ways that I can help people without failing astonishingly like with the police. I mean, I could always work as a chef at a youth centre or just in a restaurant. I used to love being a chef in the army, I don’t know why I stopped cooking.”

Seeing Callum speak so passionately about this causes butterflies to zoom through Ben’s stomach. This is the Callum he loves; the one who’s eyes would light up when he helps someone, the one who could spend a whole day cooking a meal for two people, the one who does nothing to hide his passions.

“I can’t make that decision for you, babe. Don’t get me wrong, I would never turn down the opportunity to taste your experimental cooking, but this is something you need to get your head around.”

Callum smiles at Ben’s rationality and leans in for a kiss, prompting a loud “Ew!” from Lexi.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a normal night with the three of them if there isn’t a level of chaos, and slowly but surely, Callum has a fire extinguisher in his hand and is putting out the pasta that Ben somehow managed to burn while he was telling Lexi to stop eating before dinner.

So naturally, they simply order a pizza and leave the mess for another time. It is not long before they are all curled up together on the sofa watching the film and singing the songs in a way that makes 1000 dying cats sound like Beyonce. It mirrors the past few nights, instead of being curled up to provide comfort and reassurance for a broken man, they are curled up as a family with perils of life far behind them. 

….

Callum was pacing about the living room, a look of sheer stress embroidered on to his face. Ben was sat on the sofa, contemplating how best to approach the situation. They were waiting for Stuart to come over before they called Phil saying that they needed to talk.

“Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap-” Callum was muttering to himself and eventually plonked himself down next to Ben on the sofa. He brought his fingers up to his mouth and started to chew, a habit he has had since he was a kid. He could chew his nails until the were raw and bleeding and he still wouldn’t be any calmer.

Ben was very aware of this habit and gently pulled Callum’s hand away from his teeth and caressed it soothingly.

“Stop that. It’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you”

“But what if he tries to do something to you? He could blame you for ever getting with me in the first place? I don’t want that Ben, none of this is your fault”

“Hey, if anything happens, we got uncle fester to keep Phil away, alright? And if he does react badly, then we can sort this without him. But it’s better to tell him ourselves then leave it to rumours.” They both know how it ended for Keanu.

They’re interrupted by Stuart’s booming presence as he lets himself into the Mitchell residence.

“You alright, bruv? Ben?”

“Could be better” Callum mutters, fear evident in his voice and it causes Stuart’s face to contort in concern.

“No point in wasting time, I’ll call Dad now” Ben gets up and moves to the kitchen to make the call, leaving the Highway brothers alone. Stuart maintains his gaze on Callum, seeing him get more and more fidgety. His leg starts bouncing and he begins the chew his nails again, now that Ben’s comforting presence is gone.

Stuart says nothing as he sits on the arm of the sofa and rests his hand on Callum’s shoulder, which Callum immediately grips with his hand, still keeping his intense glance on the floor. Ben returns and quietly says his Dad will be right over. He passes Callum the hot chocolate he just made him, as a means of taming the rising anxiety that is growing inside of his boyfriend.

They sit in silence for five minutes before they all inwardly flinch at the door slamming, signifying that the patriarch has arrived. Phil storms into the living room and is momentarily at Stuart’s presence. The two have never really interacted, but Phil knew that there were inner demons within the man and that he was very protective of his little brother.

“What’s all this ‘bout then? I ain’t got time to hang around.”

Callum makes eye contact with the man before instantly finding himself feeling stupendously inferior in his presence. Phil notes this fear and documents it, before looking to his son, who stands up so that they are eye level.

“Dad, we got something to talk about.”

“What? Spit it out.” Phil snaps and it only makes Callum want to curl into himself further.

“When I was arrested, I wasn’t released because Callum got rid of the tapes. Thompson made him an offer that he would release me if…” en looks to Callum, as a way of asking if he is really sure about this. They have a silent exchange of approval before Ben continues.

“…if Callum was able to bring you down.”

They all sit in an uncomfortable silence as the criminal processes this situation. Phil slowly turns to look at Callum before saying, in a threateningly quiet voice “…you betrayed my family?” Ben could see what was going to happen before it did.

Phil launched himself at the quivering man of the sofa, only to be held back by the other overpowering person in the room. Callum leapt off the sofa as a way of getting some distance between him and Phil, Ben moving to stand in front of him with one arm stretched out behind him so that he can hold Callum’s hand and provide some comfort, the other in front of him as a pointless effort of keeping his Dad at bay.

“You betrayed my family?! After everything! We took you in! Made you one of our own and you throw it back in our face! I’ll kill you! I swear to god I’ll kill you!” Phil continues to shout profanities at the cowering man, fighting against Stuart who is desperately trying to hold him back from hurting his family.

“Dad stop it! You’re not going anywhere near Callum, not if I have anything to say about it!” Ben, to some extent, tried to reason with his Dad but it soon descended into his own threats if anything ever happened to _his_ man.

“Just let us explain!”

Phil takes a few more minutes of struggle before he eventually stops his rampage and shrugs Stuart off of him. Stuart still lingers behind Phil, cautious of the fact that he may attack his brother again.

Ben waits before he is absolutely sure that Phil wont attack Callum, before he lowers his arm, still holding Callum’s hand behind him.

“Now, just let us explain. Callum does have a plan”

Phil looks to Callum expectantly, and with Ben and Stuart’s assuring glances, he finally speaks.

“I’ve been recording anything Thompson says to me when he corners me ever since he got me doing it in the first place. I’ve got him saying that this is all being done illegally, I’ve got him actually threatening me and I’ve got him admitting to the blackmail. I only need a few more weeks before I have enough evidence to take him down, but he’s given me a two week deadline and that’s too soon.”

Phil seems to be processing this information and all the other occupants of the room eagerly wait for his response.

“And what exactly do you want me to do about it?”

Ben steps in at this point after noticing that Callum is already drained after that single confession.

“We don’t want anything from you, we just want you to act like nothing has happened so that Callum can get the remaining evidence that he needs. If you do anything suspicious, we could lose taking Thompson down and we would all be sent down.”

Phil doesn’t say anything and turns around so that he is facing the opposite direction, and the silence is perhaps the most unsettling thing for Callum.

“Phil, I know I betrayed you and I don’t expect any form of forgiveness. You can hate me all you like, but I did this all for Ben. I told you once before that Ben was the best thing to ever happen to me and I would do anything for him, and I have. So, you can kick me out and hate me for the rest of your life, but I don’t regret saving Ben.”

By the end of Callum’s speech, Ben’s heart is soaring. He has never had anyone put him before anything. Callum worked so hard for his job and Ben would have never expected him to put not only that, but his life on the line for a low life like him.

Phil maintains his stare on Callum and bot Ben and Stuart are getting ready for the possibility of another lash out. But it never comes.

“I won’t do anything. I may not trust you again, but you prioritised and protected my son. Something I could never seem to do. You’re good for him.” Phil turns to leave before he is stopped by Stuart.

“You ever try to hurt my brother like that again, and you be dead before you hit the ground”

The two have a stand off before the crime lord goes around him and heads out.

Ben, Stuart and Callum all stand flabbergasted in the room, shocked at the prospect of Phil not killing Callum.

“Well, that went better than I thought it would” Ben once again using his humour to try and deflate the situation, turns to his boyfriends and wraps his arms around him, guiding Callum’s head so it rests between the crook of his own neck. Stuart watches on, satisfied that his brother won’t be harmed, before excusing himself from the romantic scene he feels he is imposing on.

….

The next day brings a new sense of dread, Callum has to go into work. Neither of them want him to go in out of fear of what Thompson could do and how much of a toll it will take on Callum. One way or another, there is less weight on Callum’s shoulders now that he doesn’t have to lie to Ben or Phil anymore, but mainly Ben. The way that Callum doesn’t have to live in constant stress now is such a relief that it almost makes him forget about Thompson as a whole.

They wake up tangled in each others arms once again, a new habit that is welcomes by the both of them, and they know that they can’t delay the inevitable and decide to get up relatively quickly. Seeing as Callum has to leave earlier than Ben so that he can get to the station on time, Ben tells him to get ready while he goes down stairs and makes him breakfast. While he is in the kitchen, Ben worries for Callum. While he knows that the man can handle himself, evident with Leo and the obvious factor of his army days, he knows that Thompson has made an impact in a way that is different to the former two. While Leo and the army were threats, Thompson is subjectively worse because of the fact that it is so personal to Callum. He is able to pick out all of Callum’s insecurities and identify everything Callum loves, then use it against him. He picks Callum apart so meticulously and then just leaves him in pieces without a second thought. It’s so personal and it will stay with Callum long after it’s all over; Ben won’t be able to pick up all the pieces this time. 

When Callum enters the kitchen, he is dressed in his grey hoodie with his favourite bomber jacket over the top and some simple black jeans. He is presented with a cup of tea and a couple slices of buttered toast. Nothing too technical, but overloaded with love.

“It’s like I’ve got my own little house wife”

“Surely you’d by the house wife, like the mob wife” Ben grins as Callum huffs out a laugh and they both sit down and eat in silence.

It’s not long before Callum has to leave that Ben notices him staring at his now empty plate and mug.

“Babe?” Callum’s head shoots up and tries to assure Ben that he’s fine, but obviously Ben can see straight through him. Abandoning his own breakfast, he moves to drag the chair next to Callum so that he is closer and wraps his arms around his upper body, regardless of the awkwardness of his sideways position. Callum instantly latches on and sobs break through. Ben tightens his grip as shakes skyrocket through Callum, Ben knows he’s trying desperately to keep it together, but he can’t hold out much longer. Not too soon later, Callum calms down and moves out of Ben’s grip. He gives Ben a weak smile that makes his boyfriend fall a little more in love with him.

Callum looks up at the clock and his smile falters.

“I’ve got to go.”

Ben turns to look at the clock and feels the similar trepidation that he knows Callum is feeling. “You know you don’t have to go right?”

“If I don’t, Thompson will know something is wrong, then we’ll all be done for.” Ben can see this logic and he knows Callum is right, as always.

“You know I’m only a phone call or text away right? And if it gets too much, I’ll come down there myself.”

“I know.” Callum’s smile returns and he leans into Ben for a kiss. Ben falls into it and try’s to convey just how much he loves Callum through it.

“Right I’ve got to go.”

“I’ll see you later.”

As Callum steps out of the house and into the cold November air, he immediately longed for Ben’s comforting arms again and had to restrain himself from running back inside to them. His walk to the station was filled with thoughts or doubt and anxiety. When it comes into view, he hesitates and contemplates turning back once more. Before he can even get the chance, he hear the chilling voice behind him.

“Ah! Callum, come talk to me in the interview room as soon as you’re in your uniform” Thompson smiles as he walks passed Callum’s petrified form and heads over to talk to some other DI’s. his demeanour is so different to the one that Callum knows, this one does not contain the devious and villainous rather it is one of ‘politeness’.

Callum tries to postpone this talk by taking his sweet time changing, but he knows he has to face the music at some point.

When he enters the interview room, he can see that Thompson has already turned all the cameras around, much like last time. Thompson already has a look of fury on his face, and Callum is practically shaking like a leaf. “Now Highway, Branning told me that Kush Kazemi was spotted in Albert Square a couple of days ago and what I want to know is…” Thompson takes a step closer to him and Callum has to stop himself from taking one back. That explain why is was in the square the other day.

“…why do you think lying to me is a good idea?”

Before Callum can even get a word in, Thompson is swinging his fist and it connect with Callum’s face. Upon impact, Callum stumbles back and bring his own hand to his jaw as a way of trying to minimise the pain that is now throbbing through his face. He looks at Thompson with a look of complete shock and tries to save himself from this situation.

“Look, I-I wouldn’t le-”

Thompson takes another swing but this time it is aimed for Callum’s stomach which simultaneously causes him immense pain and takes his breath away. He doubles over, clutching at his stomach and tries to comprehend what is happening. He steady’s his breathing and with the blurriness from his eyes disappearing, he just about realises what is happening before Thompson has his hand around his throat and has pushed him up against the wall.

The hand around his throat tightens and his oxygen supply is cut off, already lacked because of the blow to his stomach.

“Don’t. Ever lie. To me. You have no idea who you are dealing with” Callum’s hands reach up to wrap around his wrists to try and loosen the grip, but it is in vain. His vision is once again being overtaken with blur and the dizziness is becoming a primary sense, overriding all his other ones. His hearing becomes muffled and he begins to feel numb all over.

Before he can succumb to the darkness, the hand leaves his throat and he is once again doubling over. He falls to his knees and bring his hand up to caress the tenderness of his throat and he sucks in massive gulps of breath. Each breath is pained and causes him to cough.

Thompson looks down at him in disgust.

“You have one week Highway, or you will wish I was sending you to prison”

“Y-you” A cough. “You said tw-two weeks”

“That was before you lied to me again”

The slam of a door allows Callum to break now that he knows Thompson is gone. He takes a few minutes to regain his breath entirely before he is pulling out his phone and ending the recording.

This is it. This is what he needed to take Thompson down, although he could have done without the punches and strangulation. Once he has reclaimed total focus, he sends a message to Ben. 

_Something’s happened, I’m coming home x_

The reply is almost instant.

_What’s happened? Are you okay?_

_No, I need to get home, I’ll explain when I’m back x_

Once he knows the message has been received, he heads back round to the changing rooms and gets back into his own clothes. As he is doing so, he catches his reflection in a mirror that is on the wall in front of him. He doesn’t even recognise the person he sees. The person looking back has a steadily growing black eye and purple swelling bruises covering his stomach and throat. He tears his head away and quickens his changing. He grabs the unfirm and shoves it in his bag, so unlike himself as he normally folds it, and charges out the door. He let’s the reception know that he I sick and is going home before they can even question the bruises, he is out the door.

….

When Ben received Callum’s cryptic message, he was immediately filled with intense concern. Callum was only gone for about an hour and a half, how could it have gone wrong so quickly? He quickly tells his Dad that he’s got to go and before his Dad can respond, he’s rushing out the Arches.

He gets back to the house before Callum, as expected, and begins to prepare himself for the worst.

Its not long before the door swings upon and in stumbles Callum, clearly out of breath as if he’d ran all the way home. _He did._ As soon as Ben got a good look at Callum, his heart thuds to the bottom of his stomach. Callum’s eye is panted yellow and purple as a bruise begins to settle there, his eyes are red and puffy as though he had been crying, and his hair was ruffled and unkept as it rested against his forehead. He doesn’t even want to address the hand shaped bruises forming on his neck.

“Thompson did this, didn’t he?”

Callum keeps his eyes trained on the floor and slowly nods.

“I’ll kill him. I’ll fucking kill him”

Ben moves to leave but when their eyes met, Callum leaps forward towards Ben and hugs him so bloody hard that Ben thought he would snap. Ben didn’t let this deter him and as he envelops Callum in response, a familiar protective flare spirals through him.

“Come on, lets sit down” Ben guides Callum down to one of the kitchen chairs and is reminded of the other night when Callum passed out from exhaustion. _This better not become a regular thing,_ Ben thinks as he begins to clean Callum’s face.

“What Happened?”, Callum takes a deep breath before he sifts through his pocket and retrieves his phone, brings up the voice recording of Thompson and plays it. Ben listens on in horror as he tries to decipher what he is hearing, he can hear all of Thompson’s threats and each grunt that he knows is erupting from Callum.

When the recording comes to an end, Ben looks at Callum who is staring at his hands, and can only mutter a small “…Callum”

“I know it’s bad and I know he hurt me, but I have enough.”

“Enough of what?”

“With that recording of him beating me, I have enough evidence to take him down.”

Ben looks at Callum, stunned yet again, something he seems to be doing quite a lot now.

“I’m planning on going down to the station tomorrow to report everything.”

“Why not go now?”

“I-I just wanted to get home and see you” Callum looks down in shame and Ben is forced to control the unimaginable rage that was blossoming inside him. He feels an unbridled fury at Thompson for ever making Callum feel this insecure and hurt and inferior. He feels the same indignation at Thompson as when Keanu first took Callum. Thompson doesn’t deserve that he has laid eyes on Callum, he doesn’t deserve that privilege. You will never find anyone as trusting or as kind as Callum and anyone who has ever even spoken to him should feel an extreme gratitude at the honour. Maybe Ben is overreacting maybe he isn’t, but the bottom line is that Callum is the embodiment of perfection and he doesn’t deserve anything that is coming his way.

While Ben is lost in his thought, he is ripped way from them as Callum suddenly grasps his stomach in pain. 

“Callum? Callum, talk to me”

“He punched me in the stomach as well”

“…can I see?”

Callum lifts up his shirt and Ben can’t keep his eyes locked on his stomach for too long before he is ripping them away in dismay.

“Say something please”

“Christ Callum, I’m not angry at you. None of this is your faut, that hasn’t changed.”

“None of this would have happened if I hadn’t become an officer through.”

“That doesn’t matter, Callum. Thompson is the one who is using you, blackmailing you and that’s so so wrong.”

Callum still doesn’t look convinced so Ben tries a different approach. Something that will help him take his mind off of Thomson, and something that will ease his pain and aches.

“Come with me.” Ben takes Callum’s hand and gently pulls him in the direction of the stairs.

He tells Callum to go wait on the bedroom and try to calm himself. Ben went straight to the to the bathroom to run a bath for Callum. This is one of the many things they both had in common, after a bad day or just a long one, they would run a bath to help the other relax. It was something that always seemed to work and something Ben knew Callum would appreciate.

Once Callum is settled in the bath, Ben pulls out his phone and calls Stuart to let him know what happened. Better to tell Stuart now then let him find out some other way. Naturally, Stuart is furious and said that he would go with them to the station tomorrow when Callum reports everything. He left no room for argument, not that Ben was going to. Just before Ben could go back to Callum, his Dad came home.

“What was that about then?”

“Something happened to Callum.”

“What? He find another person to betray?”

Ben ignored the comment but he won’t lie, he was desperate to talk about all the times Phil betrayed him, writing him out of his Will for starters.

“Thompson beat him up for lying, but he now has enough evidence to take him down. We’re going to the station tomorrow to report it.”

“So he got thrown around a little and now he’s scared?”

Ben was about to jump to Callum’s defence when he heard the kitchen door open behind him. Both Phil and Ben turned to look at who it was, and Ben could see Phil visibly stiffen next to him at the sight of Callum. He was wearing one of Ben’s oversized maroon hoodies with a pair of joggers, when he noticed the other occupant in the room, Callum stopped in his tracks.

“Phil.”

Callum brought his hand up to try and ease the pain in his throat and the raspy voice got yet another reaction out of Phil when he clocked onto the bruises around his throat as well.

“Alright?”

“Could be worse.”

Phil nods and if Callum didn’t know any better, he would say that there is a hint of sympathy or guilt in his facial expressions. _That’s not something you see everyday._ Ever a man of words, all Phil does is grunts in response and walk based the bruised man to the living room. While he’s pretty sure Phil hates him, Callum is just glad that he hasn’t been murdered in his sleep yet for what he did. He’s still trying to get his head around the fact that Ben forgave him so quickly. He was expecting being kicked out, a breakup and having to flee Walford for fear of his life; the worst thing that he expected however, was having to watch Ben’s soul be crushed when he found out the truth, having to watch his world crumble as the one person Ben thought he could trust betrayed him. But no. Instead, he got the complete opposite. Ben forgave him instantly and not only that, he protected Callum against his Dad, something Callum hasn’t ever seen him do. He thought he would choose Phil, that he would side with Phil but he Chose Callum. Callum has always known that Ben feels some sort of obligation to his Dad, anyone who is close with Ben can see it. This need for approval is what got them into this mess essentially.

“You alright?”

Callum is startled from his thoughts and realises that he must’ve been staring off into space for a while.

“Yeah.”

There is nothing in his voice that makes this answer at all convincing. Despite having the evidence, he still has to go and report it all. He still has to go and admit his weakness’s and failures, and that’s perhaps what keeps him up for the entire night.

….

The next day finds Ben and Callum in the Vic nursing two pints as they wait for the older Highway sibling to arrive, so they can finally get this situation over and done with. Callum hasn’t uttered more words than necessary all morning out of terror. Ben tries to provide attempts at solace in these trying times, but they are all in vain. While Callum appreciates his attempts, he doesn’t think anything will be able to get his mind off of what was happening in less than an hour.

When Stuart comes barrelling into the Vic, Callum’s heart stops and he suddenly feels sick.

“Alright, bruv? Ready to get this over with?” Stuart has taken the same approach as Ben by attempting the consolation but Callum’s lack of response indicates that he failed as well.

Ben rests his hand on Callum’s leg and begins to soothe it.

“I know you don’t wanna do this. I know you don’t, and I am so sorry that you have been put in a position where you need to”

Callum lifts his head from where he had been so interested in his lap and locks onto Ben’s eyes, its as if he never wants to break this eye contact.

“Come on, we gotta go do this. Better to get with over and done with.” Callum nods frantically and gets up out of the booth they were sat in.

As they make their way to the exit, Callum catches Mick eye, who is sat at a table with Linda near the back of the pub. Mick lifts his drink to Callum and gets a swift nod in response. Mick must have guessed what they were doing by their conversation.

Just as they were about to leave, the unthinkable happens.

The door is thrust open and in walks Thompson.

Ben and Stuart immediately take up a defensive stance and are both overwhelmed by the protective flare that is igniting inside them and is spiralling out of control. As Thompson walks over to the bar to get a drink, Callum subtly shakes his head at his boyfriend and brother. He doesn’t want to provoke him anymore than he already has, he can’t know that Callum snapped and confessed. Callum was hoping he could slip past him without Thompson seeing, but he was given no such luxury.

“Ah! Callum, how are you? Heard you left early yesterday?”

To anyone else, this would be an innocent and genuine interaction, but Callum could see straight through his fake features. Yet there was a distinctive difference between how he is feeling now compared to their interaction yesterday. Previously, despite knowing that he had Ben in his corner, Callum had still felt as alone as ever; but now, he actually has Ben and Stuart there with him.

“Y-Yeah, I-er was sick”

“Right well you seem better now seeing as you’re in a pub.”

By this point, Ben and Stuart had moved to sit down at the closest table to Callum as a way of masking any form of suspicion. Callum didn’t say anything as he knew that Thompson had seen straight through his lie.

“Can I have a word? Now.” He began to make his way to a secluded part of the pub, obviously trying to make it seem work related, but Callum knew better. Ben and Stuart sat straight up when he summoned Callum and moved to stop him, but Callum knew there was no way around this. Afterall, it is a DI’s word against a Junior’s. Callum moved to join him, looking back behind him at his bodyguards who were watching Thompson like Hawks. They had looks of utter fury displayed on their faces and look like they could erupt like volcanoes if Thompson ever put one foot out of place.

“I don’t know what you think you’re playing at, but you do not want to make an enemy out of me”

Callum was suddenly filled with a newfound sense of courage and decides to stand his ground.

“I haven’t done anything, you are the one who sank low enough to blackmail a Junior just to satisfy your own obsessions. You send me to prison, and they’ll start asking questions, and maybe some of them you can’t answer. You send me down? I’m taking you with me you sick son of a bitch.” For the first time in two months, Callum stood his ground. He raised his voice so it was loud enough for Ben and Stuart can hear, and he could practically see the pride radiating off of them when he caught them in the corner of his eyes. Stuart had a big stupid smirk on his face, and Ben? Oh, Ben. Ben had never looked prouder for his boyfriend. In those two minutes, Ben had fallen in love all over again.

Callum turned back to Thompson, maintaining a steel glare and he internally faltered when he caught sight of Thompson’s own glare. If looks could kill, Callum is pretty sure he’d be six feet under by now. Thompson’s face was full of murder and he was visibly shaking with anger. He must’ve been blinded by rage, he must’ve only been able to see red because all of a sudden he was leaping forward and tackling Callum in a fit of rage.

On the way down, Callum caught his head on a corner of a table and the pain only increased when he smacked his head further on the ground. He himself was now blinded with dizziness and was only aware of the constant throbbing in his head. Thompson began to throw punches at Callum anywhere he could. His face. His stomach. His arms. Anywhere. He only stopped to look up to see Ben, Stuart and even Mick now charging towards him, screaming at him to get the fuck away. Thompson was not going to let Callum get away with this without some sort of damage, and so he scurried back slightly and before the beaten man could become aware again, Thompson grabbed onto his leg and forced it to move in an unnatural way. Everyone in the Vic could hear the snap and they knew what it meant. Callum let out an ear wrenching scream as he felt the bone in his leg shatter and it caused Ben to move even faster.

By this time, no one had noticed Linda run out of the Vic and soon return with Jack. Once he clocked onto what was happening, Jack joined Stuart in ripping Thompson off of Callum and hurling him face first onto a table, wrapping his hands behind his back and securing him. Jack looked at Thompson in the face and his own contorted in revulsion when he saw the glee in Thompson’s features. Jack turned to see what the monster was smiling at and he stopped breathing.

Callum was writhing on the floor in pain, Ben sat right next to him as he gripped onto his hand with dear life. Stuart was on the other side, his hands hovering over Callum, not sure on how to help. Other residents of the square came into the pub after they all heard the scream, Jay and Lola leading the charge. Unfortunately, Lexi was there too and upon seeing Callum’s state, she hid behind her mum in fear. “Callum?” Her small voice was somehow heard over Callum and Ben turned around.

“Lola get her out of here now!”

As Lola spun around and dragged Lexi away from the horrific scene, Jay whipped out his phone and called for an ambulance.

“It’s alright Callum, I’m here. Please, just breathe, it’s okay. I’m here.” Ben’s attempts at comfort were also for himself, on top of Callum. Callum’s face was a palette of purple and yellow with blood seeing from his nose and mouth. There were also tears streaming down his face as he tried to comprehend the pain. He felt an incredible sense of nausea by the amount of times his head was whacked and kept his eyes locked on to Ben. During all this, Mick retreated to the kitchen to retrieve first aid and returned to try and make himself seem helpful. He tried to address some of the injuries but knew there was nothing he could do for the leg.

“It’s alright Son, we’re here.”

It wasn’t long before the paramedics arrived and they tried to usher people out, but Ben wouldn’t budge. He was never leaving Callum alone again. The paramedics worked their magic and stabilized Callum’s leg enough to move him onto a gurney. As they wheeled him out, Ben moved alongside him. While they were finishing getting ready for the journey, Callum pushes himself up, ignoring the pain and the hand trying to ease him back down, and looks up to see a sight he never thought he would.

The Vic doors swung open and out walked Jack with Thompson handcuffed next to him. Multiple residents were gathered in the centre of the square watching the man be taken away. Tiffany held onto Keegan as he saw the man who wrongly profiled him and cause him weeks of suffering be taken away. Phil watched as the man who had his own personal vendetta against him be taken away. Stuart watched the man who beat his brother be taken away, Rainie soothing him to try and tame the monster who is eager to break out of his cage. And Ben watched as the man who blackmailed, abused and broke the man he loved by taken away. He thought Thompson was getting the easy way out. _He should be dead_.

Just before he was put in the car, Thompson turned to look at Callum with a resolute glance. Callum challenged this with his own defiant glare, proving that he had won. In the end, it had been Thompson’s own stupidity and recklessness that had ruined him, and Callum was already ready to put this all behind him. As the door slammed and Thompson was driven out of his life, Callum allowed his unwavering glare to break and make room for one of exhaustion and pain.

But then he feeling a hand run through his hair, he feels a thumb rubbing his hand as the one its attached to maintains a firm grip. Callum looks up to see the only person who could ever have this affect on him, Ben looks down at him with a tear stained face and gives a reassuring smile.

“You’ll be okay. I promise.”

“I know. I have you.”

At the hospital, when they have Callum situated in a private ward, its finally just Ben and Callum. Ben is sat right next to Callum’s bed still holding onto his hand as if he hasn’t let go since he was writhing around on the Vic floor.

“I am so sorry.”

“What? Why are you sorry? You didn’t do this.”

“I got you into this mess by going to the warehouse.”

“But I let Thompson get away with this, I should’ve told you sooner.”

Ben huffs out a laugh and shakes his head. “Look at us. We’re a mess”

“Yeah. But we got each other.”

Ben’s heart grows double its size. He still cannot comprehend that he was able to find a man like Callum. He never ever thought that he would ever find a man again after Paul. He never thought that he would love again, let alone have someone love him back. He’d been given a chance, and he messed it up. But then all he had to do was go for a pint in the Vic and there he met him. A dopey yet handsome friendly giant that, little did he know, would change his life forever. The past year with Callum, while a rocky one, has been the greatest adventure of his life.

Ben clasps Callum’s hand, “Yeah we do. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

If a nurse came in later and saw Ben with his head on top of his left arm resting on the bed, his right hand gripping the patients, Callum’s hand placed in his hair and both asleep despite visiting hours ending hours ago, then she simply didn’t.

….

It takes a while, but they finally make it to Christmas. Thompson’s trial came and went almost as quickly as the man had been causing havoc in their lives. Callum got out of hospital only a few days after being administered with orders to have crutches and get as much bed rest as possible. His leg was wrapped in a cast from his foot all the way up to the top of his thigh. _Thompson really did a number on him._ However, with Callum being dismissed, it meant he was deemed fit enough to appear in court. Callum defended himself immaculately, despite being ripped into by Thompson’s lawyer. Ben has never been prouder of his man, and now that the whole escapade is over, they can finally look forward to their first Christmas together. But, in typical Walford fashion, there were still many obstacles thrown their way, Ian’s lie being one of them.

Knowing that his own brother participated in the death of Dennis truly broke Ben. Phil wanted him to get involved in a murder plot and Kathy was asking him to forgive him. He had pressure from all direction _to do the right thing_. Naturally, the only person who never expected anything from him, was Callum. While he was still recovering himself and had moments of extreme pain, he was the emotional stability that Ben needed, he was the voice of reason and a shoulder to cry on.

Callum also needed immense support from Ben. He had constant nightmares about Thompson’s devilish face and Ben leaving him. This led to sleepless nights for the both of them. Ben also had to provide much physical help for him. Callum wasn’t able to climb the stairs to their bedroom so they had to make a temporary bed on the sofa for him, Ben only left him at night when he was absolutely sure he was asleep. They made a compromise that Ben would eave him only if Callum called him on his phone if he ever needed anything. Hence, Ben knowing about the nightmares. Ben also had to go practically everywhere with Callum, partly because he didn’t trust anyone else to take care of Callum. He held the door open or him, had chairs at the ready and was incredibly patient with him at all times. He walked slowly as Callum hobbled along next to him, he waited as Callum eased himself to and from chairs, and when Callum got frustrated with his injuries, Ben would be tolerant and would let his boyfriend rant, because it was highly understandable.

When it came to Christmas Eve, they decided to spend it with just Lexi and then spend Christmas day at the Beale’s with Stuart and Rainie. After the reveal of Ian’s secret, he was arrested for the manslaughter of Dennis Rickman Jr. and sentenced to 15 years; after he was taken away, life in the Beale residence brightened up immensely. Kathy, Peter and Bobby, while they forgave Ian, lived better lives and more contently. They didn’t have to worry about Ian’s backstabbing or snobbish attitude. They could be a family again. Peter had started to repair the relationship between him and Bobby, prepared to take that step for Lucy. Kathy’s caf was thriving again after being re-mortgaged and she got all her money back, and Bobby was doing much better mentally, perhaps that was because one of the catalysts for it being in jail now.

When it came to Christmas Eve, Ben had Callum situated in front of the tv with his leg propped up on a pillow with some programme on about airbending and avatars or whatever, and leaves him to go pick up Lexi.

“You sure you’ll be okay? I can always get Lola to just bring her herself.”

“Ben, you can’t stay cooped up in this house all the time just because of me. It’ll do you some good to get outside. I’ll be fine, besides it’s only going to be 10 minutes or so.”

“You promise to call if you need anything, and I mean _anything._ ”

“Yes Ben now will you just go.”

Ben leans down and places a soft kiss on Callum’s forehead and with a quick “I’ll be 10 minutes”, he is out the door. True to his word, Ben returns 7 minutes later with Lexi in tow. The night only disintegrated from there, they didn’t want Callum to feel left out due to his immobility and so they decided they would try and make cookies with all the ingredients in the living room. _How hard can it be._ Very hard apparently with the literal chef being able to do the bare minimum. When the cookies were in the oven, the three occupants of the house were covered in flour and somehow someone had managed to drop an egg on the floor and get cookie dough on the ceiling.

“How the fu-fluff… did that get up there?”

“You were the one separating the dough, I’m the one with the gammy leg.”

Lesson of the day: Never let Ben do any form of cooking or baking with proper supervision. You’d think they would have learnt that the last time he cooked and he set fire to _cooked_ pasta.

They spent the rest of the night eating said cookies with milk and having a Nativity marathon, something that was demanded by Lexi after she found out Callum had never seen them. Lexi ended up falling asleep on Callum with Ben snoozing on his other side. In her sleep, Lexi accidentally nudges Callum’s broken leg and he shoots forward and winces in pain. The sudden movement causes Ben to wake from his slumber and he quickly deduces the situation. After asking Callum if he is okay, Ben decides that it’s time for Lexi to go to bed and he does so. When he returns, Callum is surprised to see him bearing a blanket and pillow.

“What are you doing?”

“Hey, I am not spending out first real Christmas together in bed upstairs while you’re down here, so suck it up.”

Callum smiles at Ben’s gesture and pats the space next to him.

The next morning, they are both woken by Lexi screaming “IT’S CHRISTMAS!”

They start the morning slowly with Ben getting both Callum and Lexi breakfast. There isn’t any presents in the Mitchell house seeing as they will be spending Christmas at the Beale’s. While Lexi is getting changed, Ben’s tells her not to come into the living room until he says so. This is because he needs to help Calum change. Due to his injury, Callum needed help getting any clothing on his legs and it took a while before he stopped being embarrassed about this. Ben argues:

“Callum, I have not only seen you naked more times than I can count, but I have also assisted in the removal of your clothes many times.”

The journey over to the Beale’s was a slow yet patient one. Lexi understood that Callum was hurt and he needed to take his time, so she didn’t complain once. Ben walked right next to Callum the entire way to make sure that nothing went wrong. Callum simultaneously hated the crutches but knew they were helping. The repetitive and slow paced movement of the crutches was enough to make Callum go insane.

When they finally reached the Beale household, they were greeted by Michael Buble’s iconic rendition of ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ and an overwhelmingly festive atmosphere. They looked into the main room of the house and was greeted by Kathy and Rainie already being on the Prosecco, Lexi running over to her mum to hug her, and Stuart and Jay laughing together on the sofa. Callum hobbled into the living room and Jay immediately gave up his seat on the sofa so that the man could rest his leg. Stuart patted his brother on the back and gave a brief warning before they all heard a shriek.

“UNCLE CAL!” Baby Abi came barrelling over to which Stuart had to stop her and explain that her uncle was hurt and she needed to be careful. Callum chuckled at her eagerness and gave her a tight hug.

The rest of the day was a blur of presents, Christmas songs, and a mountain of food. Callum received a huge number of gifts including multiple cookbooks, several graphic hoodies, the books et of Game of Thrones, ever the nerd, and a Lego set of the Death Star from Star Wars. To anyone else, this must have seemed like the most childish thing, but it just proved how well Ben knew Callum. He knew that Callum loved to build those sets as a way of calming himself and relaxing, he hadn’t been able to have the sets when he was younger because Jonno would never buy them for him and he didn’t have a job, so he never got the chance.

Ben also received a bundle of gifts ranging from clothes to football tickets to something he never thought he’d get the chance to see.

“Hamilton tickets?!”

Callum smirked and responded “well, you’re always watching it on Disney+, may as well see it in person. My leg should be out the cast by then so we can make an evening out of it.”

“You are literally the best person alive. Thank you so much, I love you”

“I know. And I love you too.”

Because that is what people need to realise. It’s easy for people to use Ben and Callum as leverage for their own gains, but what they don’t realise is that no matter what, they always find a way back to each other and would risk the world for each other. They were truly in love, and if anyone was to come between that, they simply had a death wish. 


End file.
